Following the decision to cancel a campaign rally in Chicago on March 11, GOP front-runner Donald Trump received condemnation from media outlets for "encouraging, even condoning violence" at his events. Trump faced sharp criticism from media for creating the "hostile atmosphere" which led to violence against protesters at his events.

Right wing media have argued that anti-Trump protesters should expect "to get beat up" at his rallies, and others have labeled him the "victim", claiming the protesters infringe on Trump's First Amendment rights and are "totalitarian" and "fascist." Right wing media figures have blamed MoveOn.org for "orchestrat[ing] violence" and hijacking "what was to be a peaceful campaign rally," despite the fact that the group was there to protest previous incidents of violence at Trump rallies. Trump apologist and CNN contributor Jeffrey Lord described MoveOn.org as "the new Ku Klux Klan."

On March 16, conservative author Mathew Vadum took to Twitter, and threatened MoveOn.org saying, "Note to MoveOn anti-free speech thugs: Our side has guns, tens of millions of them. Behave yourselves. #tcot."